These are some of the common issues and concerns regarding trade-related job loss shared by displaced workers throughout the country.

The Jobs Lost Are Not Being Replaced

Few people who lose their job to offshoring report finding better-paying jobs with equivalent benefits to replace them.  Those jobs that are most readily available to displaced workers tend to be low-pay, low-benefit retail jobs. 

            Gaylene Spooner: No Jobs Close to Home

            Joe Stricker: No New Jobs Created

            Larry Durfee: Communities Falling Apart

Job Re-training Programs Are Often Inadequate

Many people find it difficult to take advantage of job retraining programs, because such programs require families to make ends meet on a reduced income.  Among displaced workers who do take advantage of retraining programs, many also find that employment options are still limited even with new educational credentials in hand.  Retraining also does little to compensate for age discrimination. 

            Jim Scheet: Retraining Delays the Inevitable

Layoffs Cause Serious Ripple Effects Throughout Entire Communities

Layoffs at one employer cause a loss of business at both companies that supported that first first employer and those that provided goods and services’ for its employees.  The initial plant closure or downsizing can thus lead to additional layoffs.  Likewise, the loss of a major employer can cause signficiant reductions in local tax bases, and at times, even reduce home values.  The creation of large pools of people looking for work can also lead to competition for scare jobs, driving down wages and benefits for all. 

            Joy Guiterrez: Plant Closures Reduce Tax Bases

            Sherry Klein: Nobody Left to Buy Things

            Ken Love: Small Businesses at a Loss    
 

Even the Potential for Offshoring Can Harm Working People

Whenever offshoring is viable option for employers, working people are put at a disadvantage—often suffering through speed-ups and even paycuts, all for the privilege of keeping their jobs. 

            Mary McCormick: Bosses Leveraging Threats